Angel Baby (20 page)

Slowly, as if wanting to enjoy the anticipation, he pulled
the bra down, exposing the full curve of her breast. Chase made a little sound
of appreciation as he stared at her for a long moment. Finally, when she
thought she’d go crazy from waiting, he leaned up again and took one taut
nipple into his mouth, sucking deeply.

“Oh, yes,” she cried, sinking her hands in his thick hair.
Pleasure roared through her, bringing all her nerve endings to life. Claudia
became one a mass of throbbing sensation, all hot and filled with wonder. Through
the thin film of her panties she felt his heavy erection, and her body's own
rush of answering moisture. “I want you so much.”

"Same here—I don’t think I can wait, Claudia. I have to
be in you right now."

Claudia smiled the slow, knowing smile of a woman aware of
her own power, and slid off his lap. Never taking her eyes from his, she hooked
one finger into the side of her underpants and pulled them off. He stared at
her, swallowed hard, then reached to the nightstand and fumbled around until he
found a condom.

"Let's pull the comforter down," Claudia said
softly. "I wouldn't want to ruin it."

Her words, so similar to the ones she'd voiced under such
different circumstances the night of Sarah's birth, brought them both to
laughter.

"To hell with the comforter,” he said.

One moment later, Claudia was on her back and he was above
her, wrapping her in his arms as he began to slide into her. Claudia hadn’t
made love in a long time, but she wasn’t at all worried about letting him
possess her fully. She was ready for him, aroused and willing. Her softness
yielded instantly to his steely strength, as, inch by inch, he made himself a
place inside her….a place that somehow seemed permanent, and vitally important.

By the time he’d buried himself within her, she was on the
verge of tears, certain she'd never felt anything more delicious in her life. She
closed her eyes, determined to savor every deep sensation, loving the heaviness
of his body on hers, the roughness of his hair on her skin, the smell of his skin.
And, especially she loved the deep, steady strokes as he filled her.  

"I've wanted you for a long time," Claudia
admitted, whispering through choppy breaths.

"I know. I've felt the same," he muttered in
response.

There were no more words as the rhythm caught them and
Claudia gave herself over to it. Lost in sensation, she couldn't form another
coherent thought as he filled her again and again until she screamed in
delight, and he answered with a final powerful thrust and a shout.

Claudia awoke to the feel of a warm mouth on her belly.

"Good morning," Chase whispered against her skin.

Not even opening her eyes, she smiled broadly and stretched
under his caress. He moved with her, trailing kisses across her hip.

"Good morning yourself," she whispered.

"Did you sleep well?"

"No," she replied with a feigned yawn, suddenly a
lot more awake than she let on. Deliciously awake. Filled with anticipation and
a flash of desire. "Someone kept waking me up all night long with these
outrageous demands."

Chase’s chuckle was decidedly evil. "Are you
complaining? Because, I can stop if you want me to.”

Her bluff completely called, she replied, "Don't you
dare stop, Chase. Don't even think about it."

He didn’t, going right back to press another warm kiss on
her hip, then on the indentation below her belly. She shivered, shocked at the
waves of pleasure undulating through her as all her senses came alive again.
When his jaw brushed against her curls, teasing, taunting her, Claudia groaned
and twisted on the bed, unable to stop herself from silently asking for more.
He’d given her so much during the night, making love to her over and over. She
didn’t think she’d ever feel whole again when he wasn’t with her, now that
she’d experienced that fullness, that delicious sense of possession she felt
when Chase was buried deep inside her. But now, her body was ready for even
more intimacy.

When he moved his mouth down and his tongue delved into the
tender folds of her sex, she cried out. Pleasure washed over her, intense and
almost surreal. Claudia tangled her fingers in Chase’s thick hair, unable to do
anything except take the pleasure he seemed determined to give her

He drove her mad with tender flicks of his tongue, then
sucked the sensitive nub of her clitoris into his mouth. The intensity rose and
rose, spiraling up until she felt like she was flying on top of the room. Then,
with one more gentle taste, he sent her right over the top. An explosion of
sensation burst through her, sending warmth and liquid delight through every inch
of her.

She was still shaking from it when he moved between her
thighs and slid into her again. She twined her arms around his neck and her
legs around his hips, welcoming him back inside her.

“I think I could get addicted to this,” he murmured.

“I think I already am,” she replied.

Then they couldn’t speak, they could only thrust gently,
from slow to fast, then back again, taking and giving.

And loving.

Later that morning, Claudia woke again, and glanced at the
clock. It was nearly ten, and she'd told Melanie she'd be over to pick up Sarah
by eleven. Though she hated to leave the warmth of Chase's arms, she slipped
out of the bed.

"Don't leave," he said as he reached for her.

"I have to go get the baby."

He nodded and leaned back against the pillows, crossing his
arms behind his head as he watched her move naked across the room. Claudia
wondered why she didn't feel shy. She was naked, in broad daylight, after all.
But after the night they'd shared, the delicious intimacies he'd introduced her
to, she just couldn't muster any coyness. Her body was still tingling in spots
she didn't even know existed before he'd kissed them, in areas she never knew
were erogenous until his hands were on them.

"When will you be back?" he asked.

Claudia pulled her dress over her head and said, "After
lunch. Why?"

"I was just thinking about that long afternoon nap that
child of yours likes to take. Still a good two hours?"

Claudia smiled wickedly at him as she smoothed her dress
down over her hips.

"Yes, indeed, Mr. Paxton. Think we can find something
to do to fill up two hours?"

His eyes darkened as he swept them over the front of her
body. She could feel his gaze almost as if he touched her.

"I think I can fill you up for a lot more than two
hours."

Melanie and Ryan urged her to remain all afternoon, but
Claudia found excuses to leave just after lunch. Still, she couldn't avoid all
her friend's questions about the previous evening. Claudia did not tell Melanie
how her date had ended. It wasn't just that she didn't want Melanie to worry
about what Andrew had done, Claudia wasn't ready to talk about her new
relationship with Chase. Especially since, at this point, she didn't really
have any clue what the relationship really meant.

"Please plan to stay for dinner one night this week,
all right?" her friend asked as Claudia buckled Sarah into her car seat.

After promising she would, Claudia drove home. She'd missed
Sarah dreadfully, especially since she'd never been apart from her overnight
before, and rocked her for a long time before putting her down for her
afternoon nap.

Chase's timing was perfect. He knocked gently on her front
door less than five minutes after she put Sarah to bed. Slightly nervous,
Claudia swept a hand through her hair and smoothed her sweater before answering
the door.

"Hi," she said softly, unsure how to meet the man
who'd brought her to ecstasy so many times the night before.

Chase didn't seem at all uncertain. He slid his hands into
her hair, cupping her head and drew her forward for a deep, wet kiss. Claudia
felt her legs turn to mush as she leaned against him for support, unable to
form a single thought except how much she wanted him.

"Hi," he finally said after he ended the kiss and
smiled down into her face.

"Wow, you sure know how to greet someone," Claudia
murmured.

After Chase walked into the living room and sat down,
Claudia went into the kitchen and poured them each a drink. When she returned,
she sat next to him on the couch, close, but not quite touching

"So, what did Melanie have to say?" he asked.

"About what?" she asked, instantly on guard.

Chase stared at her hard, and she wondered if he heard the
strident note in her voice. "You didn't tell her."

It wasn't a question. She shook her head slowly.

"That's fine," he replied. "I understand why
you wouldn't want to. To tell you the truth, Claudia, I'd prefer it that way.
I'd rather nobody else knew what was going on between us, especially at
work."

Though she should have been relieved, Claudia felt a brief
stab of disappointment that Chase didn't want anyone to know about their
relationship.
Relationship?
Until she at least knew what to call what
was going on between them, it was better that no one else knew.

"Of course," she said. "Can I get you
something else? Are you hungry?"

Chase sat his glass on the table and took hers out of her
hand. Claudia inched back a little as he leaned over her and said softly,
"I'm very hungry, Claudia. Very, very hungry."

Monday afternoon, Claudia finished up some last revisions to
a program she was working on and noticed it was a half-hour past quitting time.
She'd been so wrapped up in her work that she hadn't even noticed it. She was
putting the last of her things away when her office door opened and Chase
looked in.

"I thought I saw your light on. I just got off a
teleconference...lasted nearly two hours. Are you ready to go?"

Claudia nodded, Chase shook his head and stood to leave the
office. When they reached the outer doors, Chase asked, “Do you have a jacket
with you? It was supposed to get pretty chilly out.”

“No, I didn’t think to. It was so bright and sunny this
morning. Hopefully I can get the heat going in that old heap of mine.”

“I’m surprised you can get that thing running at all,” Chase
muttered.

“It’s getting more and more difficult,” Claudia admitted. “I
think I’m going to have to bite the bullet and trade it in.”

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart,” he said, “but I
don’t think you have much of a bargaining chip there.”

Laughing, she walked with him out the front door. When Chase
slid his hand into hers, she glanced down in surprise then squeezed his fingers
lightly. The temperature had indeed dropped, and she shivered a little,
surprised at how quickly fall had descended. As much as she hated the thought
of the approaching winter, Claudia conceded that this year might be better than
previous ones. Sarah's first birthday was coming up. Christmas, too, should be
very special this year. She even pictured playing in the snow, making snow
angels and building snowmen with the baby.

Then there was Chase. She didn't know where their
relationship was headed, but suddenly long winter nights in his arms sounded
heavenly.

Chase opened her car door for her and kissed her lightly on
the forehead before she got in.

"Call me when you get home, all right?" he
insisted. "I'll be finished up here in another half hour and won't be too
far behind."

Claudia nodded. Getting in her car, she said a quick, silent
prayer, put the key in the ignition and turned it. Nothing. She tried again,
and was rewarded with complete silence.

“Damn,” she muttered as she sat back and banged the steering
wheel with the palm of her hand.

A knock sounded on the car window and Claudia glanced up to
see Chase looking in at her. Rolling down the window, she smiled weakly.

“Problems?” he asked, as if he didn’t already know.

“Won’t start.”

“Let me try,” he said.

Claudia slid over into the passenger seat to make room as
Chase opened the door and got in. He turned the key, but no miracle of
mechanics responded to the presence of the mighty Y chromosome in the car. It
was still dead.

“Could be the battery,” Chase said. “I have some jumper
cables.”

Claudia frowned. “No, it’s not that. I just had the battery
replaced two months ago.”

“That’s about as far as my auto mechanic skills will get
you,” Chase admitted with a sheepish grin. “Change a flat, pump the gas, change
the oil...I can handle that. Anything more complicated and you lose me. I do
better with wood than metal.”

He smiled at her, and Claudia was suddenly very aware of how
small her car really was. His long, hard thigh was separated from hers by no
more than a few inches, and she could feel the warmth of his breath as he
spoke.

“I’ll call a friend of mine who owns a garage and ask him to
tow it over and check it out," Chase offered.

“I appreciate that,” she said. “I guess I’d better go back
in and call Melanie and see if she or Ryan could pick me up.”

“Don’t be silly,” Chase retorted. “I’ll drive you home.”

“No, I don’t want to put you out. I have to go to their
house and get the baby,” Claudia said.

“Claudia," he insisted, "I've been asking you to
ride with me to work, anyway. And I was just about to leave. We’ll swing by
Ryan's place, pick up Sarah and head home.”

Claudia bit her lip uncertainly, but Chase didn’t appear to
want to take no for an answer.

“I even drove my car instead of my pickup today, because I
took Dorien to a doctor’s appointment this morning. We can get Sarah’s car seat
and be ready to leave after I call for the tow truck.”
Not waiting for her reply, he opened the car door and stepped out. Claudia
sighed, shrugged, and got out as well. He helped her unbuckle the car seat from
the back and carried it to the other side of the parking lot where his mid-size
sedan sat alone. Claudia grimaced a little as she saw a few crumbs and dried
milk stains on the baby seat, worrying about the interior of his extremely
expensive car. He didn’t seem to give it a thought, though, and quickly buckled
it in.